


secrets learned in glastonbury-by-the-sea

by quicheand



Category: K-pop, SHINee
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Historical, Brothels, M/M, Prostitution, and the other half are just random made up people, but honestly all my endings are rushed, in which half the characters have a different name, rushed endings, this has the worst title ever but i'm too lazy to think of a new one
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-04-24
Updated: 2011-04-24
Packaged: 2018-05-17 19:17:21
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,767
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5882416
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/quicheand/pseuds/quicheand
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Whatever this is, whatever Jonghyun thinks he has with Key, it's only because he's paying for it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	secrets learned in glastonbury-by-the-sea

On the day after Jonghyun’s twentieth birthday, he set out to see the world.

Or at least that was what he intended.

What really happened was this: he traveled across the ocean to his first destination, Glastonbury-by-the-sea, and then he never left. He’d meant to stay for a week or so before moving on to the next city on his list of places to see, but he fell in with some young, hedonistic aristocrats about his age, and had so much fun drinking and partying with them that he decided to stay a little longer.

On Jonghyun's tenth day in Glastonbury, one of these young men, a carefree libertine named Sebastian, took him to visit Velleity Manor, a brothel renowned for its luxurious accommodations and the superior quality of its employees.

Sebastian liked to attend parties, where he usually ended up overindulging in drinks and fun, and he often said things that made Jonghyun wonder about the somewhat dubious state of his morals. But he took a liking to Jonghyun, interest apparently piqued by this visiting youth from a noble family of a foreign land, and Jonghyun figured that as long as he was clear-headed enough to stay true to his own morals and standards, there was no harm in indulging a bit in the type of fun Sebastian liked to have.

It was a Tuesday when Sebastian brought Jonghyun to Velleity Manor for the first time. He showed up at the door of the room Jonghyun was staying at in the early afternoon and said with an arch smile, “Let's go somewhere _really_ fun today.”

That somewhere fun turned out to be a high-class brothel, housed in a large mansion in a secluded part of the city. The extravagant dwelling rose unexpectedly as if from nowhere behind a row of townhouses that seemed dingy by comparison. The manor itself was beautiful, all white walls and gold accents, set back away from the corruption of the surrounding neighborhood by a large, courtly garden, complete with topiary maze and a marble fountain that burbled serenely as Sebastian led Jonghyun past.

The interior of the manor was no less impressive, Jonghyun found. The grandly ornamented double doors swung open to let them inside, and Jonghyun was taken aback by the white gleam that they were met with. The marble floors gave off a polished shine and a slight reflection of the rich chandeliers overhead and the swirling banisters of the curving symmetrical staircases that ran around the side of the room, leading to an upstairs Jonghyun could so far only imagine.

Sebastian was apparently a frequent visitor, and was immediately greeted warmly by a slim, well-dressed man. They conferred quietly for a moment; Jonghyun couldn't make out everything they said, but Sebastian's gestures toward him seemed to imply that he was explaining Jonghyun's status as a newcomer.

Onyx led them both to a waiting room that was smaller and cozier—but no less ornate—than the main hall and gestured for them to have a seat. Then, with a slight bow and a smile, he stepped out of the room.

Jonghyun looked over at Sebastian, who was leaning back against the plush material of the armchair he had taken, the picture of leisurely superciliousness. His nonchalance, however, was belied by the impatient tap of his foot against the carpet, the up-and-down bounce of his knee as he waited. Jonghyun rested an elbow on the arm of his own chair, feeling stiff and impatient, nervous and excited.

The door opened again, and a line of beautiful men and women filed in, with Onyx at the back, ushering them in. Sebastian stood up immediately, taking the arm of a petite girl with long brown hair and a sweet, round face. They left the room, Sebastian looking back to give Jonghyun a smirk and a wink.

The remaining figures—prostitutes, Jonghyun's brain supplied automatically—spread out in a vague line through the room. Jonghyun's eyes flicked between them; they looked back at him, some giving knowing looks, some lounging nonchalantly against a wall, sparing him only a cool sideways glance, some gazing seductively at him from beneath long eyelashes.

“This is the range of companions you may choose from today,” Onyx said. He began introducing them, gesturing towards each one by one. “This is Finnean,” he said, motioning at a confident-looking youth with honey-colored hair, “Olivia,” a tall, thin woman with red lips and a somewhat severe expression, “Ivy,” a shapely blonde who tossed her long curls over her shoulders as Onyx said her name. He then went on to introduce Rico, a tanned and muscular man, Portia, a well-endowed woman who looked to be slightly older than the rest, and Thyme, a feminine-looking boy who couldn't have been more than seventeen or eighteen years old.

“Choose whomever you wish,” concluded Onyx. “Take your time.”

Jonghyun was thinking that Ivy was fairly attractive, and was about to choose her when there was a slight commotion as a new figure entered the room. Jonghyun couldn't quite see who it was.

Onyx gave a slight incline of his head and said, “Excuse me,” before turning and crossing to the newcomer in three brisk strides. He grabbed the arm of whoever it was. “When I tell you to come downstairs immediately, I mean _immediately_ , not twenty minutes later or whenever you feel like it,” he muttered angrily.

“Sorry,” said the other, not sounding at all sorry, “but I was a little busy, if you know what I mean.” Jonghyun still couldn't see his face, but he could see that the boy was tilting his face up, raising his chin defiantly. “Or would you rather I left him unsatisfied and lost you a regular customer?” he was saying. He shook Onyx's hand from its tight grip on his upper arm.

Onyx shook his head, muttered something Jonghyun couldn't quite catch in a warning tone, and stepped aside.

“And finally, we also have—”

“I want him,” Jonghyun blurted.

Onyx raised his eyebrows. “—Key,” he finished. “What a quick decision,” he said. “Are you sure?”

Jonghyun nodded, not taking his eyes off Key—he wasn't sure if he was able to. The boy looked to be about his age, although there was a rebellious glitter in his eyes that made him seem younger, like a teenager just starting to discover the world and realizing he was better than everyone around him. Jonghyun flicked his eyes from Key's face, his high cheekbones and the bow of his full lips, down to the low, loose collar that revealed prominent collarbones, down to the inward curve of his waist, down, down to the pants that clung to the outline of his thighs like a second skin.

“I'm sure,” he said. Key raised one side of his mouth a confident smirk, like he knew exactly what Jonghyun was seeing. Jonghyun shivered.

 

 

Key led him up the grand curving staircase and down a sunlit second-floor hallway. They stopped in front of a simple wooden door, shockingly nondescript compared to the ornate entry. Key turned his confident smirk on Jonghyun as he twisted the brass door handle and pushed the door open. He held out an arm, beckoning Jonghyun into the room; Jonghyun entered, and Key followed, shutting the door and then leaning back against it, hands behind his back. He was smiling, a confident smirk that made Jonghyun feel naked in front of him.

“First time here, huh?”

Jonghyun started a little at the sound of Key's voice. “I—yeah,” he said, stammering a little. “My friend brought me.”

Key made a humming sound in the back of his throat. “What's your name?” he asked.

“Jonghyun.”

“You're not from around here, are you, Jonghyun?”

Jonghyun shook his head. He shifted from one foot to the other. “Just visiting,” he said. “Just stopping here for a while, I mean. I'm on a trip to see the world.”

“Is that so?” Key pushed himself forward off the door and advanced across the room until he was inches away from Jonghyun, close enough that Jonghyun could feel his body heat. Key brought a hand up between them and started undoing the buttons of Jonghyun's vest. “Have you seen anything you like so far?” he asked, voice pitched at a quiet, seductive murmur. He kept his eyes trained on Jonghyun's the whole time. Jonghyun swallowed, caught by the intensity of Key's gaze.

“I,” he started, and then found he couldn't remember what he had meant to say. Key smirked and leaned in.

None of the girls Jonghyun had been with kissed like Key.

Key kissed like he knew all the secrets to the world and didn't mind sharing a few. He was only a couple of inches taller than Jonghyun, but he seemed taller, like he was holding himself above Jonghyun in more ways than just physical height. And when he pushed aside the silken fabric of Jonghyun's shirt to press steady fingers against Jonghyun's skin, and when he broke the kiss to slither down Jonghyun's body until he was kneeling in front of him, and when he unbuttoned Jonghyun's pants and took Jonghyun into his mouth—Jonghyun felt that the secrets Key could share with him were worth more than anything else he could learn on his journey around the world.

When it was over Jonghyun put his clothes back in order and adjusted his hair in the mirror and opened the door to leave. He looked back at Key, who waggled his fingers at him in a little wave, like goodbye-and-come-again-soon. Then, feeling a little like he'd just been dreaming and hadn't quite woken up yet, Jonghyun walked out into the hall and back down the stairs to sit in the grand lobby.

Sebastian came down too, after a few minutes, a wide, easy grin spread across his features. He looped an arm around Jonghyun's shoulders as they left, giving him a look that said he knew exactly how great a time Jonghyun had just had. They rode back again in Sebastian's carriage; Sebastian dropped Jonghyun off in front of his transient home, and they parted ways for the day.

Jonghyun mostly—he didn't forget about his visit with Key, of course, but he mostly put it out of his mind for the next week. There was something going on every day, and it was easy not to think about something when he was kept so busy.

Then, on the Monday after Sebastian had taken Jonghyun to Velleity Manor, Jonghyun found himself alone in his rented room with nothing to do but watch the rain fall outside his window. He'd meant to dine with a couple of his friends, but they'd sent word canceling their dinner plans at the last minute. Jonghyun didn't mind, but that left him fidgety and bored, wishing for human companionship.

He eventually found himself retracing the route he'd taken with Sebastian a week earlier, ending up waiting in the magnificent lobby for the second time in his life.

And then the wait was over, and he was being led up those huge curving stairs again, down the hall to the same room as last week, and Key was waiting for him, opening the door and greeting him with a lofty smirk.

They didn't waste any time with introductions or idle chatter this time; as soon as the door closed Jonghyun stepped forward at the same time Key reached to pull Jonghyun toward him, and they came crashing together.

They stumbled in the general direction of the bed, shedding clothes as best they could. Key fell back onto the bed as his knees hit the edge of the mattress, and in the split second before Jonghyun clambered up to join him, his face broke into a feline smirk that shot straight to Jonghyun's groin. Then Jonghyun leaned down to kiss Key again, on the corner of his mouth and then down to the sharp edge of his jaw, to the pulse fluttering in his neck. Key tipped his head back, the smirk sliding off his face as he moaned.

Jonghyun couldn't get enough of Key. His hands fell naturally to Key's shoulders, and then roamed further, skitting across his collarbones and down his chest, fingers pressing abstract patterns into the dips between his ribs. Key had one hand wrapped around the back of Jonghyun's neck; he reached down with the other to guide Jonghyun's hand further down.

Somewhere along the way Jonghyun ended up being flipped onto his back, Key sliding to straddle his thighs. And then Key was raising himself up, shifting over to—Jonghyun let out a choked noise that was half a gasp and half a groan and jerked his hips up, and then it was Key's turn to gasp.

Jonghyun pulled Key down again. They kissed sloppily, breathlessly, and the keening noises Key made into Jonghyun's mouth with every upward tilt of Jonghyun's hips and every downward slam of Key's were the most beautiful sounds Jonghyun had ever heard. He reached between them to wrap a hand around Key, stroking him off in time with their thrusts. Key dug his nails into Jonghyun's shoulder as he came, and Jonghyun let out a hiss of pain; but it didn't matter, because then he was following Key, coming with a final upward thrust and a shower of sparks flashing behind his eyelids.

 

 

After that, Jonghyun visited the manor more and more frequently. He became something of a regular; everyone at the manor knew to find Key whenever Jonghyun showed up, and if Key was unavailable, Jonghyun was shown to a waiting room where he could help himself to refreshment until Key _was_ available.

Jonghyun realized it probably wasn't healthy for him to spend so much time at an establishment like Velleity Manor, but he couldn't stop himself from going back. It was the sex, of course—but it was also something else, something Jonghyun couldn't quite articulate; the closest he could come to putting it into words, even in his own thoughts, was that Key intrigued him.

Key alternated between what Jonghyun thought of as his sharp self and what he thought of as his soft self. Most of the time, Key presented his sharp self to the world: his high cheekbones seemed even more prominent than they actually were and the line of his jaw looked sharp enough to cut, and he threw out scathing remarks like poisoned barbs, scattered in a protective ring around himself.

But sometimes—sometimes. Sometimes while they lay back on twisted white sheets, a light sheen of sweat just drying on Key's milky skin, he let his guard down, and another side of him glimmered through. This Key was softer and sweeter, all rounded edges and smiles that almost dared to be hopeful, or happy. Even his facial features seemed to change; his cheeks became almost childishly rounded, and his lips relaxed into an absent pout that gave him a slightly baffled look, Jonghyun thought.

It was on one of these occasions that Jonghyun told Key he loved him. He hadn't meant to, even though the thought had occasionally crept into his mind ever since the first time he followed Key up to this room. It just slipped out, an absent-minded confession that dropped from Jonghyun's lips as he stroked his fingers lightly up and down Key's skin: “I love you.”

After a moment of stunned silence, Key's eyes opening wide and his mouth rounding in surprise, Key gave a short, sharp bark of laughter and twisted up and away from Jonghyun. His whole body tensed up as he settled himself into a sitting position slightly closer to the edge of the bed than was necessary.

“You love me,” he said derisively. “That's funny.” He twisted his mouth up into a deliberately nasty smile.

“I do,” insisted Jonghyun. Key laughed again; then his expression turned serious.

“You don't love me,” he said. “You just found someone pretty to fuck, and for the first time you found someone you can have whenever you want, and because of that, you think you love me—but you don't. If you think that this is love, it isn't. This isn't real—nothing about this is real.” Jonghyun opened his mouth to protest, but Key continued, viciously: “Everything you think you have, everything you think this is—it's only because you're paying for it.”

Jonghyun snapped his mouth shut again. He stared at Key until finally Key looked away.

Key reached for his shirt and stood as he did up the buttons. He reached down and came back up with Jonghyun's clothing. Jonghyun was suddenly interrupted in his staring at the milky curve of skin at Key's thighs where the tails of his shirt dangled when his own shirt hit him in the face. “Your time's up for today,” said Key without looking at Jonghyun.

Jonghyun gathered his clothes to him. He looked down at the rumpled fabric in his lap, then up at Key, who was now facing away from him as he pulled on the rest of his clothes. “Key...”

Key turned then. He arched one eyebrow at Jonghyun, as if asking, _what?_ But Jonghyun found that he didn't know what to say after all, so he just put on his clothes and left the room, closing the door quietly behind him.

He didn't go back for two weeks.

The next time he went, it was to say goodbye.

“I'm leaving.”

Key looked at him, surprised at first, but he quickly masked it, composing his face into an expression of perfect indifference. “Oh,” he said, sounding bored. “Are you?” He leaned back against the engraved wood of the dresser.

“Yeah,” said Jonghyun. He looked down at ornately patterned carpet, still hovering by the door. It was funny; he'd been in this room so many times, but now all of a sudden he felt awkward, like he didn't belong in here. Keeping his head bowed, he said in a low voice, “I set out to see the world, and I've just been here the whole time, so I figured...” He trailed off for a moment, then cleared his throat and looked up. “I figured it's time for me to see the rest, you know?”

Key was quiet. Then: “Okay.”

“Okay,” said Jonghyun too. It came out sounding halfway between a question and a statement, and Jonghyun wasn't sure himself whether he was asking Key's permission or just confirming again or something else. He fiddled absently with the edge of his waistcoat.

“Are you leaving now, or are we still having sex like normal?”

Jonghyun's gaze had drifted over to the window, but he looked back over with a start at Key's words. He knew he should just finish what he'd come here to do—that he should just say goodbye and leave, but when Key asked him like that—

Almost without realizing what he was doing, he stepped forward, one hand lifting up, instinctively reaching out to Key. Key smirked; Jonghyun thought he looked melancholy and amused and conceited all at the same time. And beautiful—Jonghyun always thought he looked beautiful.

Key pushed off the dresser, standing up straight, and took his hands out of his pockets. He came forward, but only slightly, and stood there, hip cocked to one side as he brought his hands up to unbutton his shirt. Jonghyun crossed the rest of the way, slowly, unable to bring his eyes away from Key's long, lithe fingers as they deftly twisted button after button from their buttonholes.

When they kissed it was bittersweet, or at least it felt that way to Jonghyun—he couldn't stop thinking that this was going to be the last time. He would never see Key again, never get to do this again—and that thought made him squeeze his fingers tighter where they were pressing against Key's hipbones. Key let out a hiss, and Jonghyun knew he was probably leaving bruises that would stand out dark and angry for days against Key's pale skin, but he didn't care. All he cared about was this moment, this one last chance for him to try as hard as he could to get underneath Key's skin, to get more, to get closer than was physically possible.

Afterwards, Jonghyun watched Key as they lay in bed, waiting for him to say something, but Key stared resolutely up at the ceiling, ignoring Jonghyun's gaze. Finally, he said, still without looking at Jonghyun, “You'd better go. The world's waiting for you.”

Jonghyun sighed. He felt inexplicably disappointed, although he wasn't sure what he wanted Key to say instead. He'd imagined perhaps that Key would ask him to stay; or apologize for what he'd said last time, when Jonghyun had told him he loved him; or tell Jonghyun goodbye, or that he'd miss him. But Jonghyun wasn't sure whether he wanted Key to say any of these things either, so he stood and pulled his clothes back on.

He hesitated at the door, turning back to Key. Key was looking at him too, out of the corner of his eye, but he averted his gaze when he saw Jonghyun looking back, and crossed his arms over his chest.

“Key,” said Jonghyun. But Key didn't say anything, didn't even look over, so, with a heavy sigh, Jonghyun stepped through the door and left.

 

 

He left Glastonbury that night, hiring a cab to take him to Hartford-shire, his next destination. From there, he visited Cassiobury Point, then Ravenscourt, then Tithesford Port, where he caught a steamer bound for Nomensfast across the South Bell Sea. He stayed a couple of days in each city before moving on; even though he'd originally planned for at least a week in each location, he now found it hard to stay in any one place for too long.

He visited landmarks and monuments, scenic parks and overlooks. He made friends—it was easy; everyone, it seemed, was interested in befriending the young aristocratic foreigner from across the sea—and they invited him to parties nearly every night. 

They were wonderful parties, ladies dressed in splendid gowns, plentiful food and drink that never seemed to run out, replenished faithfully by the most attentive of servants, and gossip and laughter that lasted until the early hours of the morning. But, even as he laughed along with the temporary friends each new city brought him, Jonghyun found that his heart wasn't in it. He couldn't concentrate, and his attention constantly drifted from whatever task was at hand. His thoughts floated vaguely around nothing in particular; he filled his schedule so that he was never still enough to think about any one topic at length.

Three months passed; Jonghyun crossed the last destination off the battered paper on which he'd scrawled his list of places to see. He double-checked the schedule he'd copied down, times and dates and destinations of ships leaving the harbor.

His ship was leaving in the morning. Jonghyun tapped his pencil absently against his chin, wondering if he'd forgotten anything. He'd packed his bags that afternoon, paid for his room through the night, and bid farewell to the three young men who'd taken it upon themselves to show him a good time in the last stop on his tour of the world.

Still, he couldn't shake the uneasy feeling that had welled in the pit of his stomach. He'd checked everything twice and hadn't found any mistakes, so he couldn't explain the instinctive feeling that he was doing something wrong.

But that was a lie, wasn't it? Now that he was sitting still, alone in the quiet of his rented room, Jonghyun's mind wandered back to that elegant mansion he had been too busy to reminisce about during the past months.

Jonghyun had meant to return home after he'd visited all the cities on his list, but now he wondered if a change of plans would be so bad. If he was being honest with himself, he didn't want to go home at all; if he was being honest with himself, his trip still felt lacking, incomplete without one last stop.

 

 

It was raining the evening Jonghyun got back to Glastonbury. The first place he went, even before he found somewhere to stay, was Velleity Manor. He stumbled in through the front doors, dripping all over the polished marble floor, to the dismay of Onyx, who had come out to meet him. He greeted Jonghyun warmly anyway, ever the professional, and offered him a seat in a warm, fire-lit room and a towel with which to dry his hair.

“You're here to see Key, I expect?” said Onyx as Jonghyun dried off by the fire.

Jonghyun looked up at the sound of Key's name. “Yes,” he said. “Is he available now?” A shadow crossed over Onyx's face, and Jonghyun added hurriedly, “If he's busy, I can wait.”

“Well,” said Onyx. He paused then, as if unsure how to continue. After a moment, he said, in abrupt tones, “He's gone.”

Jonghyun was shell-shocked; and he must have looked the way he felt, for Onyx added, a sympathetic look on his face, “I'm sorry. He quit a couple of weeks after the last time you came.” He frowns. “Although honestly, the way things were going downhill with him, I would have fired him soon even if he hadn't quit.”

Jonghyun remained silent, processing this. The fire crackled merrily behind him, as if laughing, making fun of him for having come all the way back for nothing.

“Will you be seeing someone else, or...” Onyx's voice pulled Jonghyun back to the present.

“No,” he said. “I'm sorry.” He stood to leave, the hesitated. “You wouldn't happen to know where I might be able to find him now?” he asked Onyx, hope creeping into his voice.

It was crushed as Onyx shook his head. “I'm sorry,” he said. “After an employee severs ties with us, we no longer find it necessary to keep track of their whereabouts.”

“Right,” said Jonghyun, deflated. “Right, of course.” Feeling dazed, he stepped out of the room, fire still flickering warmly away behind him, and into the marble entry. He walked slowly across the space, which suddenly felt cold and empty, larger than it ever had before.

He was at the door when a voice called him back.

“Are you looking for Key?”

Jonghyun spun around to see a slight figure lingering shyly by the staircase. The boy—Thyme, Jonghyun remembered—reached up to tuck a strand of his wispy reddish hair behind his ear. “You're here for Key, right?” It was more a statement than a question.

Jonghyun stepped forward, back into the center of the room. “You know where he is?” He cursed himself for the urgency that crept into his voice.

Thyme nodded delicately, and Jonghyun found himself in front of the boy without really realizing he'd moved toward him.

“Where is he?” he demanded.

Thyme ignored him. “He told me about you,” he said instead, the corner of his mouth creeping up.

“He did?” Jonghyun was suddenly curious. “What did he say?”

Thyme gave a slow, infuriating shrug. “The more important part is what he didn't say.”

Jonghyun had no idea what Thyme was talking about. “Okay,” he said slowly. “Are you going to tell me where he is?”

Thyme cocked his head to one side. He looked Jonghyun up and down, considering. Jonghyun felt suddenly self-conscious, and shifted uncomfortably.

“He told me you said you loved him,” said Thyme. Jonghyun flushed, but said nothing. After another moment, Thyme continued: “I guess since you've come back for him you probably do.” Jonghyun wasn't sure what to say to that. He nodded once, jerkily.

Thyme seemed to make up his mind. He clasped his hands behind his back, straightening up, and said in a crisp voice, “Yarrow Road. There's a little bakery, with a couple of apartments upstairs; Key's working there now.”

Jonghyun nodded. “Thank you,” he said, already turning, headed for the door at a brisk pace.

 

 

It was dark by the time Jonghyun reached the bakery on Yarrow Road, and the shop was closed. A light was on inside, though, and through the translucent window shade Jonghyun could make out the dim silhouette of a lone figure still moving around inside. He pounded on the door. “We're closed!” a muffled voice shouted from inside. Jonghyun ignored it.

The door opened abruptly. “Are you an idiot, I said we're—” Key cut off abruptly, eyes widening at the sight of Jonghyun.

“Hi,” said Jonghyun. “Can I come in?”

Key looked conflicted for a moment, his hand poised to shut the door; but he nodded and stepped back. Jonghyun stepped across the threshold, and Key closed the door behind him. Then he turned to face Jonghyun, arms crossed over his chest. Neither of them said anything for a few moments; then Key exhaled shakily. He uncrossed his arms and looked down, fidgeting with the apron he was wearing.

“I thought you were going to see the world.”

“I did,” said Jonghyun. He smiles a little and spreads his arms wide. “I'm a worldly man now.”

Key rolled his eyes, snorting. “Unfortunately, your deplorable mental capacities don't seem to have improved.”

Jonghyun tried to smile, but it was a failed effort. He stepped forward, breaking the tense stillness between them, and reached out.

“Key,” he said, a little desperately.

Key shifted out of his reach. “Jonghyun, don't,” he said. Jonghyun winced at the sharpness in his voice. “Why did you come back?” he asked. “How did you find me?”

“Thyme told me where you were,” said Jonghyun.

“He did?” Key looked surprised, and then his expression shifted, and he scowled irritably. He opened his mouth to say something else, but Jonghyun cut him off.

“Key,” he said. “Why did you leave the manor?”

Key paused with his mouth half open; his bottom lip curved out from beneath the bow of the upper, and Jonghyun found himself staring slightly despite himself. He shifted his gaze back up to meet Key's eyes again.

“Key,” he said. He swallowed and shifted his weight, then looked down at his feet. “Do you love me?”

He expected Key to put on his sharp facade, to lash out right away, and steeled himself for the inevitable retort. He was surprised to be met with several moments of silence instead. Jonghyun looked up, and was shocked to see Key biting his lip, looking more vulnerable than he'd ever seen him before—and that was all the answer he needed.

He stepped forward, carefully. “Key,” he said. Key looked up at him,; his eyes were shining with fear or hope or both. Jonghyun reached out to take Key's hand. Key tried to pull away, but the effort was halfhearted, and Jonghyun held on easily.

“I meant what I said that time, you know,” said Jonghyun. He tugged gently on Key's hand, closing the gap between them. “I do love you.”

“Jonghyun...”

Jonghyun leaned in to press his mouth to Key's in a gentle kiss.

“I love you,” he said, again, when they broke apart. “Is that okay now?” he added in a playful tone, fairly certain the answer would be yes.

Key buried his face in the side of Jonghyun's neck. “I hate you,” he mumbled, slapping at Jonghyun's side.

“Ow,” said Jonghyun. Then: “Come home with me.”

Key pulled away then, and Jonghyun watched, disappointed, as his his protective facade went back up.

“You're not talking about going back to wherever you're staying for sex, are you,” he said, flatly. Jonghyun didn't say anything, and Key huffed out an angry breath. “I'm not—I have a life here, Jonghyun!” he said. “You can't expect me to just drop everything, to forget everyone and everything I've ever known and move to a country I've never been to, just for you.” He put a hand to his head, rubbing circles over his temples. “You still don't understand anything,” he said, bitterly.

Jonghyun stood in silence for a moment. It _was_ unfair, he knew. It was selfish and naïve of him to ask Key to go back with him and expect him to say yes. But—Jonghyun had come all the way back to Glastonbury to find Key because he hadn't been able to concentrate on anything without him, and if he just left and went home again now that he'd found Key, nothing would change.

“Fine,” he said. He ran a hand through his hair. “I'll stay here instead.”

Key's head snapped up. “What? You can't do that!” he protested.

“Why not?” Jonghyun let his mouth slide into a slight pout. “I want to.”

Key gave him a baleful look. “You have nothing here,” he said. “You have money and family and friends waiting for you back home.”

“Don't care,” said Jonghyun; and he didn't, he realized. Why did he set out at all, if not to get away from the life he'd had for the first twenty years of his life? Maybe this was what he had been looking for from the very beginning, though he hadn't known it at the time.

“Key,” said Jonghyun, and he reached out to touch a hand to Key's arm. Key shrugged his arm off, but Jonghyun could tell from his face that his resolve was starting to crumble, and he reached out again, this time closing his fingers around Key's wrist.

Key let him, and he let Jonghyun draw him close again, though he was still scowling. “What are you going to do here?” he asked. “What are you going to do for money? Where are you going to live?”

“Don't know yet,” Jonghyun murmured. He stroked a thumb against the smooth skin on the inside of Key's arm. “But I can figure that out with you.”

“You're an incredible sap, you know?” said Key. 

“Probably,” Jonghyun admitted.

Key tilted his head forward, until his bangs were brushing against Jonghyun's forehead, and Jonghyun knew he had won. He shifted, angling his head just so, and their lips brushed. Key let out an exasperated huff and brought his free hand up to the back of Jonghyun's head, fingers tangling in the hair at the nape of his neck, and pressed their lips together—a real kiss.

Things had been simple when they'd first met, just a simple exchange of money for sex. They'd gotten complicated somewhere along the way, and now nothing was certain, and everything was new and daunting.

“We'll figure it out,” Jonghyun said again. Key hummed softly in agreement.


End file.
